Partners: A Memory of Halloween
by RWBY Order
Summary: Aboard Manta 5-1 with engines screaming for Atlas and with a few hours of peace and quiet, Weiss reminisces on a particularly fond memory from her past, even as anxiety about her team's future grips her. A memory of her first and only Halloween, the day she and her partner became best friends. (The story is framed around Halloween, but it's not really a 'Halloween fic')


**A/N I want to start off with a hearty fuck you to my cousin. Y'all can't tell, but she convinced me to write all this in comic sans.**

**00000000000**

The air was...crisp, she thought. It was quaint, almost funny to watch Yang and Ruby shivering so. The four huntresses-to-be of Team RWBY were walking back to their dorm that Friday in October. Their latest class that semester had just let out, and the four were currently braving the Autumn chill of Vale as the sun began to dip below the distant horizon to the west.

And quaint really was the word to describe the air as it was. The breeze was stiff, sure, but Weiss would describe the chill less as biting and more as...well, as quaint. Sixty degrees Fahrenheit, Sixteen degrees Centigrade, and - she paused her thoughts to do some quick mathematics in her head - about 289 Kelvin.

The two sisters huddled together, shoulder-to-shoulder, shaking like leaves in a gale. While Weiss would be the first to admit that their uniforms did little to dissuade the cold, she did have to wonder how well the two Vale-born sisters would fair in her home country's famous winters. Glancing to her right, Weiss observed that Blake seemed to be doing better, but the occasional shiver ran up the Faunus's spine. That made sense as well. However tight-lipped Blake was about her upbringing, Weiss had managed to piece together that the girl was raised in Menagerie. Tropical island nations like that would do very little to train her against the cold.

Though, she supposed the White Fang would have taken her around Remnant during her tenure with the...group. A part of Weiss wondered if Blake had ever been to Atlas, had ever _worked_ in Atlas.

Weiss frowned, those thoughts would do her no good. She had already forgiven Blake, those emotions would leave in time. What Blake did or did not tell Weiss she had done didn't matter. Whatever evils she had committed, however justified or unjustified, Blake was remorseful, and those actions led her to Beacon. Had Blake made better - _different_, Weiss corrected herself - decisions, Weiss would not have met her, and would not have the friend she now trusted in.

Secure in her reasoning, Weiss turned her mind to different topics, idly listening to the two sister's blithe conversation at the front of their group. She wondered how cold it would get in Vale, as this was her first winter away from home. Six months with these three girls in this strange place under her belt, and they were still finding ways to surprise her. Perhaps this would be one such case? A cold winter would be nice, after all. She couldn't really judge her teammates for their poor reactions to the weather, as she herself recalled sweat-drenched memories from August, being baked alive by the Valean Summer.

Weiss grimaced.

No, she had no room to talk there, it seemed. Walking through the doors to their dorm building, Ruby threw her arms into the air and groaned just a bit too loudly for Weiss's tastes, the fifteen-year-old not one for social queues as some poor student in the lobby of the building trying to study flinched at the sudden noise, "Eugh, it's so nice to be out of the cold!"

At the time, Weiss didn't even second guess her biting retort, "It's not _that_ cold, you dunce."

The younger girl pouted, arms falling limply to her sides. Her sister spoke up, smirk on her lips, "Of course _you'd_ say that, Ice Queen, you probably can't wait for it to get colder. I don't think you shivered once."

Of course, Yang was right on both counts, weirdly perceptive as she was. Weiss wasn't just going to _admit_ that however, so she deflected as the four began to make their way up the stairs, "That doesn't give her the right to go screaming in the lobby of the dorm, what message does that send to the other students? That our _brave leader_," the words practically dripped in sarcasm, "cannot handle even a little drop in temperature?"

Before Yang or Ruby could respond, Blake spoke up, voice quiet but sly, "It would probably tell them that it's cold outside."

Ruby turned around, sending the 'B' of their team a megawatt smile while balancing a small tower of notebooks and textbooks in her arms and walking up the steps backwards. "I knew you'd be on my side, Blake!"

Looking past Ruby, Weiss had a sudden premonition of what was about to happen. With a sigh, she transferred her own books into her right hand, freeing her left. As they stepped up onto their floor of the Dorm building, Ruby had no way of seeing that there was no step behind her. Stepping up and backwards, expecting another step, Ruby instead lost her footing and went toppling backwards with a shriek, her stationery being flung into the air as her arms cartwheeled in search of something to catch herself on.

With a flick of her hand and a surge of her aura, Weiss summoned a pair of glyphs. One appeared in midair, forming around the books as they left Ruby's hands, bisecting the pile and freezing them in place as if they were lodged in the body of the glyph. The second appeared under Ruby's back, giving her a solid surface to land on that wasn't as far down as the floor. Ruby's shriek was abruptly cut off with an 'oof' as she hit the hard glyph.

After a moment of disorientation where Ruby looked around, silver eyes met blue and Ruby's smile returned, cheery as ever, "You saved me! I knew you cared, Weiss!"

Weiss met her grin with a flat stare and, wordlessly, dissipated the glyph under Ruby, sending her tumbling to the floor with a second 'oof'.

After a second, Yang began to laugh, her guffaws carrying down the hall. Even Blake broke after a moment, her breathy chuckles lighting up behind Weiss. It took no small amount of effort to keep her own face neutral but internally, Weiss was delighted by the interaction. She had never gotten to do something so...silly, before. This was what they _did_, Team RWBY. They verbally sparred back and forth, they joked and laughed together. Weiss acted haughty, Blake pretended to be above it all, but there was an unspoken warmth there Weiss had never found with anyone before.

It was all new and wonderful, and sometimes it threatened to overwhelm her.

**0000000000**

The airship's engines whined loudly as it flew through the air, only a few miles north of Argus now. The cabin was cold despite the sunshine outside, which was only exacerbated by the fact that the cabin had no seats and they had to sit on the metal floor (Atlas' Military not being known for its creature comforts). It wasn't quite cold enough to be too uncomfortable to Weiss, but also cooler than that Autumn night she remembered so fondly. Two birthdays had passed since that day, though not quite two years yet. It brought a nostalgic, slightly painful smile to her face to recall. A simpler time, a kinder time. Back before...all this.

What remained of Team JNPR were down on the other side of their stolen gunship, playing some game on Jaune's scroll. Well, Jaune and Nora were playing, Ren looked to be snoozing and acting as Nora's backrest. Weiss couldn't decide whether that made her feel happy or sad. Some cocktail of the two, she realized after a moment. Her lips curled up a bit, and her eyes burned with old tears. She didn't know why it was hitting her so hard now, but for a moment she swore she could see the empty space where Pyrrha should have sat with her team.

They had all survived her loss though. Jaune won their game, and he threw his arms in the air and shouted, only for Nora to lunge at the poor boy with a wild haymaker to his shoulder. He yelped in that just-slightly-too-high-pitched voice of his as the impact knocked him to the ground. Ren peeled open one tired eye open before muttering something in Nora's ear which caused her to pout and sit back down, looking everything like a cat pretending not to enjoy the fact that Ren was running his fingers through her hair. She held the look of fake-displeasure for as long as Nora was capable of holding it, which naturally meant that it was slightly less than three seconds before she was all smiles again.

It was heartening to see them getting along so well. After everything they had seen, everything they had done, they were still the same people. Turning her head, she looked at the other complete set of partners in the cabin.

Well, almost complete, she thought grimmly.

Blake and Yang sat immediately across from her, leaned against each other and both out like a pair of lights. Her eyes followed Yang's arm from the shoulder down. At slightly above half her bicep, the tan skin gave way to black and yellow metal. Blake and Yang had yet to regale them with the tale of what exactly had happened on their mission to disable the communications tower, but Weiss could be perceptive too. Her eyes trailed lower, to the gash cut into the plating on Yang's arm. While she didn't have the engineer's eye that Ruby did, she knew the external plating on Yang's arm was heavy-duty stuff, something powerful had made that cut. It wasn't the only damage Weiss had noticed. Blake's jacket was conspicuous by its absence, and Weiss had caught a glimpse of Gambol Shroud during their fight with the Leviathan. The blade had been fractured from its pistol/hilt. While she didn't get a chance to investigate yet, she had also noted the red stains on one of the fragments of Gambol Shroud. Grimm didn't bleed like that.

Still, everyone was still rather raw from the past few hours and the small miracle of their escape. She'd ask them later. Her eyes trailed down further still, pausing. At the end of Yang's prosthetic arm, Weiss looked how Yang and Blake's hands lie, intertwined. Whatever had happened, Weiss was just glad they were both there, backing each other up. It had hurt to see them struggle so much these past few weeks. She hoped things would turn up for them.

A tried breath escaped Weiss, she was exhausted too. They had fought _hard_ today. Summoning always took a lot out of Weiss, and having to maintain her Lancer Queen for Ruby after having spent all that energy trying to take down Cordovan's mech...her shoulders sagged at the thought. Nothing a good meal and sleep couldn't fix, but despite her physical exhaustion, Weiss couldn't bring herself to be sleepy yet. Almost without thinking, her eyes sought out the last member of Team RWBY.

**0000000000**

It was an hour after they got back to their dorm that the problems began.

"Ughhhhhhh, do we _have_ to go?" Ruby whined like a child from atop her bunk.

"Aw c'mon Rubes, you love Halloween!" Yang shouted up at the lump of blankets, textbooks, and weapon parts that her sister was currently hiding under.

Said lump squirmed for a moment before replying, "I'm not a _kid_, Yang! I haven't been trick-or-treating since I was twelve!"

Blake added her voice to the conversation, "It's a Halloween party being put on by Team CVFY, Ruby. It's not for little kids."

A red-and-black mop of hair popped out from the lump, conspicuously on the opposite side of the blanket that Weiss had thought Ruby's head was on, to glare accusingly at the team's resident faunus, "Blake! You're supposed to be antisocial, too. You should be on my side!"

Blake didn't even look up from her book to meet Ruby's silver glare, "Just because I'm particular of the company I keep doesn't mean I'm antisocial. I actually quite like people-watching at parties."

Yang folded both hands over her heart theatrically, "Awww, did you hear that Rubes? She's particular about her friends, and she still talks to me!"

From where Weiss sat, she thought she could see the smile Blake was trying to hide behind her book.

Ruby tried to burrow back into her sheets, but Yang pounced, grabbing the fifteen-year-old by the ears and pulling hard, "Oh no you don't, ya little skamp!"

"Agh! Ow! Crap, Yang! Stop!" Ruby sputtered and shouted as she fought against the pain in her ears to hold her ground, a losing battle. The bunk swayed dangerously under the sudden struggle.

Weiss finally decided it was time to interject, her voice sounding shrill even to her own ears, "Hey, cut that out before you pull her bed down on mine! I swear you two, if you break my bed one of you is sleeping on the floor tonight!"

It was possible that Ruby couldn't hear her, as Yang was still yanking on her ears, but Yang certainly wasn't deterred by the threat, instead shouting back over the din Ruby was making, "Aw, Ice Queen, if you wanted in my bed so bad you should've just asked!"

Weiss didn't even grace that with a response, plucking one of Yang's hair brushes off of their desk and sending it bouncing off of Yang's thick skull. The blow was enough to distract the brute, allowing Ruby to slip from her grip and escape back into her pile of stationary and cloth. "I knew you had my back, Weiss-ey!"

"_What did I say about calling me that!_"

Back at square one, Yang place her hands on her hips, frowning. Seeming to rethink her strategy, Yang said, "Come on Ruby, I know you like dressing up for Halloween. This could be your last chance to, I don't think there'll be many Halloween parties to go to after we graduate."

Weiss's brows furrowed. That went against just about everything she knew about Ruby. She didn't like dressing up at all. The girl looked half nauseous at the prospect of wearing anything with a larger heel than her combat boots. Weiss found she couldn't even _imagine _Ruby in a formal gown.

That brought up a second issue in Weiss's mind. This holiday they were celebrating, 'Halloween', which wasn't for a few more days (Ruby's birthday, coincidentally), wasn't really a thing in Atlas. From what she had overheard, there seemed to be some tradition involving children around this time of year, but beyond that Weiss hadn't thought it important. She had assumed the party this afternoon would be a casual affair, being that it was thrown in the commons area of the Sophomore dormitories. Not that it mattered, Weiss had needed to dress-up on short notice many times while she lived in her family's home. She had a few dresses she could wear in her closet.

A bit timidly, Ruby peeked her head out again, "I hadn't thought of that. You're right, it could be the last time I get to do it. Eugh, and I already made my outfit too. Fine, you win, you big turd." Ruby sounded a bit morose at having to socialize, but what perplexed Weiss was Ruby's agreement. She thought, no, she _knew_ Ruby hated having to dress for formal occasions. What was this sudden change in stance for?

Chalking it up to the inherent absurdity Ruby and Yang's behavior tended to involve, Weiss sat on her bunk and began to brush her hair, needing to tame the platinum locks quickly, as they would be leaving within the hour. The next several minutes passed in a bit of a blur as she realized how little she actually knew about the holiday and it's traditions. Mentally going through her wardrobe, Weiss picked out a simple white dress and black sash that would strike a balance between formal and casual, and should be suitable for whatever CFVY had planned. The thought _did_ cross her mind to voice her questions to her teammates, but the other three talked so easily about it, as if it was something they've known about since they were children. The thought of asking such a stupid question as how she should dress for a Halloween party curdled her stomach and burned her pride.

Excusing herself to the restroom to change ten minutes before they were supposed to leave, Weiss made a note of the fact that Ruby gave her a funny look as she walked into the team's bathroom.

**0000000000**

It took longer than Weiss thought was reasonable for Ruby to step out of the little bathroom on the airship, but once she had, Weiss immediately shot to her feet. Ruby was pale and sweat beaded on her forehead. Perspiration dampened the cream colored collar of her shirt, her breath far too labored to be normal.

Weiss covered the distance between them in two swift steps, before any of the other occupants of the airship could even notice anything was amiss. "Ruby, are you-" she began before a pair of strong arms wrapped around her shoulders and Ruby sagged against her, half-hugging and half-hanging.

Ruby's head laid heavily on her shoulder and her breath puffed against Weiss's neck in a way that she wasn't sure she disliked. After a second, Ruby spoke tirely, "Yeah, I'm...fine. Just the uh...the eye thing really...really takes it outta me…"

Weiss pursed her lips, not sure if she was supposed to return the hug or try and carry Ruby over to the wall to sit down. After a second, she wrapped her arms around her friend's torso and said, "Yes, well, it was _very_ impressive. Now let's get you sat down, okay?"

Ruby hummed, and Weiss briefly feared she'd fall asleep right where they stood. "Hmm, yeah, that sounds nice."

Once she had gotten Ruby sat down and resting against the hull of the airship, Weiss took a step back and looked at her friend. That word, 'friend' still sent a warm little flutter through her chest, as much as she would deny Ruby every time she said it. Ruby looked so small like this, slumped against the wall and half-asleep, so young. It was almost impossible to reconcile this version of her friend with who she had seen the past few hours. The stressed-but-calm furrow to her brow as they put their plan into action, the firm way she shouted orders in the heat of battle. She sounded every bit the leader back there on the shore of Argus, making spot decisions and directing her friends.

Stopping a Leviathan in its tracks.

That image would forever be burned into her mind. Ruby Rose, that very same girl who tripped over Weiss's luggage and exploded on Beacon's docks on her first day, standing atop Weiss's Lancer Queen summon out in the bay of Argus, staring defiantly up at that hulking monster.

She had thought in those first few weeks at Beacon that Ruby was much too young for any of this. Just fifteen years old, and attending one of the most prodigious huntsman academies on Remnant. That alone would have been bad, but that child being put as the leader of their team, a team with _Weiss Schnee_ on it? Absurd. Looking at her now, though, and an odd sort of pride blossomed in her heart. Here was Ruby, seventeen years old, a leader. A warrior. And after what she had just done, petrifying a Leviathan, holding that great beast in place long enough for Cordovan to finish it off, saving Argus? A _hero_.

Weiss's partner, and her best friend.

"C'mon, Weiss-ey, I know summons are hard to hold up that long. You should rest too," Ruby managed to mumble without sounding _too_ tired.

"I told you not to call me that," Weiss said with no real malice in her voice. She obliged Ruby, though, and sat down next to her. They sat in silence for a time, the only noise coming from team JNPR's game and the hum of the engines.

In the quiet, Weiss's mind strayed once more to the future. To their destination.

**0000000000**

Atlas was always a very cold place, her family home even moreso. In the physical sense, yes, but also in many other ways. The architecture favored the greys of steel and concrete over the red bricks and neon of Vale. The people, too, were very closed off, very quiet. It was generally frowned upon to be loud in public, to show overbearing emotions, to stand out.

It made sense, of course. Weiss knew her home country's history. The Great War, from before she was born. The kingdoms of Remnant, engaging in the single largest conflict in the history of the planet, the catalyst of which was a simple moral argument. No political assassination, no act of agression from one country to the next, just a simple dissagreement on how was the best way to defend against the Grimm.

Atlas and Mistral united under the notion that the only way to fight the Grimm was to mute the emotions of the populace. The abolition of art, music, forms of expression followed suit. It was this that Vale took offense to, and Vacuo soon after. Vale believed that the human spirit was the answer. Unity and positivity could give people the strength they needed to fight back the beasts on their doorstep. This simple disagreement snowballed for years before the first shots were fired, and the world erupted in war.

Atlas and Mistral lost, of course, and seemed to turn away from their repressive ways, at least to the outside world. Atlas apologized with the CCT towers, uniting the world through communication, and Mistral became a center for artistic expression and culture. The nations of Remnant adopted the same language (the language of the Victors, Valean), and all moved to the same currency. The following generation, in protest of the actions of their forebears, gave their children the names of colors, of the most fundamental part of art. It was from this that Weiss gained her name, from the dead language that used to be spoken in Atlas, before the treaty. She liked to say it in that language sometimes. It sounded harsher in Atlesian than it did with Weiss's natural accent. "_Wei__ß_," she whispered to her reflection, as she touched up on her makeup in the bathroom of their dorm. White.

Hypocrites.

Despite the cheerful way Atlas seemed to accept Vale's treaty, their conditions, they didn't change a damn thing. Sure, they switched languages and currencies, sure Jacques Schnee named all three of his children after the color White, sure they built the Cross-Contenental Transmit System which facilitated easy communication across the kingdoms, but it was all a facade. A lie. The people of Atlas were as repressed as they came. Holidays in the country were rare and formal affairs. What art Atlas produced were all bronze and steel statues, simple still-life paintings. No creativity, no spark, no heart. No soul.

It was funny, Weiss thought, how history still affected the present. How it affected her life. Since coming to Vale, she was bombarded with more colors and sounds and _energy_ than she had thought possible. Just the mild pre-Vytal festival atmosphere was more energetic than anything Weiss had experienced at home. She genuinely had no idea what to expect of this Holiday. Ruby and Yang seemed to think it a big deal, Weiss having overheard the lengths they had gone to for their outfits tonight. Compound that onto the revelation that this holiday, for whatever reason, was an exception to Ruby's hatred of formal dress, and Weiss worried she would make a fool of herself once she stepped foot into CFVY's party.

As it happened, Weiss didn't even need to wait until then to show her ignorance.

Stepping out of the bathroom, Weiss was struck dumb. In her absence, her team had dressed in the dorm, and to call their outfits tonight 'unorthodox'...well, that didn't even touch the surface of Weiss's confusion.

Blake and Yang were...well, Weiss didn't even know how to rationalize what she was looking at. Blake had on a pair of baggy gym shorts and a tank top, over which she wore a hooded orange robe that hung open off of her shoulders, with a pair of padded gloves on her hands (that didn't hamper her ability to hold a book, evidently). Yang, meanwhile, was swaddled in several loose black and purple clothes, several knives strapped to various points of her body and with a stylized purple mempo covering her lower face. A simple mistrali sword strapped to her back completed the look. The dark clothes were offset somewhat by Yang's mane of gold hair, but it didn't seem to bother her. She was even wearing a pair of sandals on her feet Weiss had never seen before.

Weiss didn't even recognize Ruby for a few seconds. She wore a cloak as always, but rather than her vibrant red one that hung off her back like a cape, this one was black and wrapped over her shoulders, falling down and hiding most of her body from view. The hem of the cloak was cut in such a way to look ragged, though Weiss could tell a pair of scissors had done the damage. Underneath it, Ruby wore a grey-blue dress that Weiss was absolutely positive she had never seen in Ruby's closet. Most strikingly, however, was the ornate ceramic mask, bearing the likeness of a sugar skull.

"Uhm," Weiss said before she could stop herself, "I know I've seen some weird things since we moved in, but this is strange even for you three." That was when she realized how strangely her friends were looking at _her_.

"Ah, Weiss," Yang said, tightening a cloth strap holding a knife to her forearm, "You do realize this is a _Halloween_ party, right?"

What?

"...Yes?" was her response, still clinging to the vain hope that all of this would start making sense. "How does that translate to you dressing like a ninja?"

Blake didn't even look up from her book, and Yang snorted a laugh but didn't respond as her knife fell out of it's strap and _thudd_ed into the carpet point-first. It was Ruby who cocked her head to the side, silver eyes peering at Weiss from behind her ornate mask, "Weiss...you _do_ know about Halloween, right?"

Weiss bristled, "Of course I know about the dumb holiday, what do you think I am? An idiot?"

Ruby didn't outwardly react to the outburst, but Yang huffed as she tugged the knife out of the carpet, "Cool it, Ice Queen."

Before Weiss could fire back, Ruby spoke up. In spite of the fact that Weiss had denied her ignorance, Ruby explained, "You dress up in costumes on Halloween, Weiss. Monsters, ghosts, super heroes, people from history. You carve jack-o-lanterns and people hand out candy. You didn't see all the decorations all over campus? Nora put pumpkin stickers all over team JNPR's door and Ren."

Weiss _had_ noticed, of course. She had assumed that was just a part of Vale transitioning into Autumn, had thought it was just another odd quirk of the kingdom. Still, if there was one thing a Schnee could do, it was deny liability, "I knew that, I just thought it was silly," that, at least, wasn't a lie, "and I didn't expect anyone a _Beacon Academy_ would be so childish."

"It's traditional here," Blake said, glancing up from her book at Weiss for the first time, looking her up and down. After a second, the Faunus frowned, "Honestly, I should have told you about the costumes. I knew Atlas doesn't celebrate Halloween, but I figured you would have at least been familiar with it." She folded her book, before standing up to grab her bow from her nightstand (and, honestly, Weiss had gotten so used to seeing her ears she hadn't noticed they were out).

Both Ruby and Yang's heads snapped to their black-haired teammate, and Yang shouted, "Wait, _what?"_

Followed shortly by Ruby's shocked cry of, "They don't have _Halloween_ in Atlas?! That's like not having _water_!"

"It's just a Holiday, Ruby."

"It is _the_ holiday, Weiss!"

Weiss just harrumphed, crossing her arms in a way that looked more childish than she intended, "Well it's still silly. I don't know how I could stand walking into the second-year dorms dressed in a _costume_. I'll just wear this."

Yang shook her head, "Everyone's gonna be dressed up dude, _you're_ going to be the one looking silly." She said this even as one of the black rags she had wrapped around herself slipped off her shoulder and got tangled around her sword's scabbard.

Frustratingly, Yang had a point. Her cheeks were already burning at being caught so off guard by all this, and she didn't know if she was even comfortable with going to this party anymore. Of course, Weiss wasn't just going to _say_ that. Instead, she made an excuse, "Well then I wouldn't want to cross any sort of taboo, I'll just stay at the dorm tonight then."

Ruby seemed to take offense to that, by the way he stepped forward towards Weiss and held up her hands in front of her chest, though it was hard to tell with the mask obscuring her face, "You can't just _not go_, Weiss. We're a team, we're supposed to do stuff like this together."

Weiss gave her a flat stare, "It's just a Halloween party, Ruby."

Her shoulders slumped for a second, before she shook her head, taking off that mask of hers, "Well then I'm staying too!" From within her cloak she pulled out a pair of exquisitely crafted wood and metal kamas and tossed them up onto her bed.

"Awe, come on Rubes!" Yang said, finally seeming to get her outfit in order, "You put a lot of work into that crap, you're just gonna ditch it? Don't use this as an excuse to avoid people."

Briefly, Weiss recalled the several hours the past few weeks Ruby had run off, claiming to be working on some 'secret project' at Beacon's workshop. Only now did she realize Ruby had probably been assembling her costume. That would explain the mask and the kamas, and Weiss doubted Ruby could have paid for something so finely crafted.

"I'm not, Yang. If Weiss doesn't want to go to the party, it's my duty as her partner to keep her company!" Ruby said, crossing her arms and frowning in a way that somehow actually managed to seem a little bit stern. She was beginning to figure out this whole 'leader' thing, it seemed.

Weiss heaved a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose and placing a hand on her hip, "You don't need to do that."

Ruby turned back to her, her brows furrowing, "I know I don't _have_ to, but I'm not gonna leave you here by yourself in a quiet dorm while we go and party."

Blake stood up then, languidly stretching, "Well, whatever you decide to do, decide it soon, because we need to leave in the next minute or so."

Ruby didn't look away from Weiss, eyes searching, when she waved her hand and said, "You guys head on out, I'll text you if we decide to come."

Yang threw her hands in the air, dislodging the same knife again and sending it _thuddi_ng into the ceiling, and said, "Alright, have fun then you two." She then brightened up a bit when Blake moved to stand next to her. Blake always had a way of cheering up her partner. Moving to leave, Yang quipped, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" to which Blake rolled her eyes and shove her out of the door. From outside, Yang shouted, "And definitely don't do anything I _would_ do!"

Blake looked to the red and white pair one last time before taking her leave as well.

Ruby sighed once the door shut, "So, do you really not know about Halloween?"

Of course, Weiss didn't respond positively to that, "I already told you I know about it!"

Ruby's only response was the kind of flat stare Weiss had never seen her pull off before, "Weiss."

It was enough to get Weiss to talk, though she couldn't bear to maintain eye contact, looking away, "No, alright. I don't know anything about it, and it didn't occur to me that there would be anything particular _to _know so I didn't do any research. It was an oversight. I figured if it was a big holiday Goodwitch would've given us the week off."

Ruby's eyes squinted at her partner, seeming to process something. After a second, she began explaining, "Well, it's changed a lot from when it was first invented, Vacuo has its own traditions, but in Vale basically the big thing about Halloween is trick-or-treating."

Was Ruby...lecturing her?

"Like, what kids do is go from house to house knocking on doors while wearing costumes. When someone answers the door, the kids say 'trick or treat'."

Ruby was lecturing her on Halloween.

"It sounds like a question but it's really not, since people only ever do 'treat'. The houses owner gives the kids some candy and sends them on their way. Some adults and teenagers dress up too, but they don't go trick-or-treating, either sitting at home and doling out candy or going to Halloween parties. That's really the long and short of it, you put on a costume based on something scary or just something that you like, and just sort of...go have fun. I have a lot of good memories from it."

Weiss frowned, "That sounds...interesting."

Ruby bounced on the balls of her feet, "Yeap, it's a lot of fun. It's a bit silly, but who doesn't like a little bit of silly now and then?"

Weiss could think of a few people, but she didn't dwell on that, "We...don't have anything like that in Atlas. I had no idea."

"I mean, it makes sense now that I think about. Atlas is sorta stuffy, isn't it?" Ruby asked.

That actually made Weiss laugh a little, helping to work that uncomfortable feeling out of her gut. "You can say that again. What _were_ Yang and Blake wearing, anyway?"

"Ooh, Yang had the idea that they'd go as something the other person should be. Like, Blake was a boxer, with the robe and the gloves and everything, and Yang was a ninja!" Ruby said, beaming, "I made Yang's knives."

"And what about you," Weiss asked, doing her best to sound interested despite the way her gut continued to turn at the fact that a girl two years her junior was having to explain all this to her.

Ruby perked like a dog at the sound of the word 'walkies!', "Oooh, yeah!" She reached up and plucked her mask and kamas from her bed. Slipping her mask back onto her face, she struck a pose, "I'm the Grimm Reaper!"

Weiss crossed her arms, shifting her weight to her left leg and cocking her hip, "Isn't the grim reaper supposed to have a scythe?"

Ruby's arms dropped to her sides, kamas swinging dangerously close to her legs, and she scoffed, "No you doofus, two Ms. The _Grimm _Reaper, Maria Calavera. The legendary Huntress! They said she could freeze a Creature of Grimm just by looking at it!" By the end of her explanation, her voice transitioned from condescending to that high-pitched excitement Ruby usually used to talk about weapons. "She was so _cool_, like, my uncle Qrow said he based his scythe on her kamas, and I based Crescent Rose on Harbinger so yeah."

Weiss raised a single eyebrow, this back and forth at least she could do, "Nope, never heard of her."

While Weiss couldn't tell because of the skull mask, she could bet Ruby was pouting. "Well anyway, I spent a few days putting together some sorta-replicas of her kamas and mask, and nicked this cloak from a clothes store on Patch a few years back during my 'edgy' phase," She swung her arms out underneath it, fanning the cloak out like a bats wings for a second before shoving the kamas at Weiss and demanding, "Look at them!"

Weiss obliged, if only to turn her attention away from the way Ruby's excitement bled into her. The kamas were exquisite, thanks to Ruby's always-obsessive nature when it came to weapon crafting and maintenance. If she put half as much intensity into her schoolwork, Weiss wouldn't have to carry her team on grades, she always griped. Still, the blades consisted of multiple parts that looked capable of folding into the shafts of the kamas, and the carved wood of the handles were designed to resemble the same sugar skulls that Ruby's mask was supposed to mimic. Speaking of, Weiss looked up at Ruby's mask again. It too was beautiful and intricate, with swirls and lines carved into the ceramic which must have required a most careful touch to form without shattering the mask. Ruby mistook Weiss looking up as a prompt to continue talking excitedly, "I tried to make the kamas as close to the Grimm Reaper's 'Life and Death' as I could, but she was around back before scrolls were a big thing so there are only a few pictures of her, and even fewer of her weapons. I heard she had gravity dust built into them but that's expensive and I already buy enough of it for bullets, so."

Weiss's eye twitched when Ruby once more ended her sentence with a conjunction, but let it go. Correcting people's grammar was 'rude' in Vale, as she had learned. Evidentally it made people feel stupid, and Weiss was trying to be more considerate of people's emotions. Recalling that, however, led to a realization, "This all must have taken a heartbreaking amount of work, Ruby."

Ruby waved her hand, "Oh, pff, of course. A good bit of lien too, but it was a fun little project."

That made her feel even worse. After a second of deliberation, Weiss offered the kamas back to Ruby, "Go to the party."

"What?"

Taking responsibility for her mistakes was also something she wanted to work on. "It's not fair for you to have gone through all this work and not be able to show it off. You shouldn't have to be stuck in this stuffy old dorm room on a holiday you love because of me."

Hesitantly, Ruby took the kamas from Weiss's hands, and Weiss prepared to spend the rest of her night lonely. It wasn't as if she was new to the feeling. Only, Ruby then reached over to set the kamas on her bed again, shaking her head, "And it's not fair for me to make you sit here all by your lonesome while I go out and have fun. If you want to come with me, sure, but it's my duty as your partner, and doubly so as your best friend, to not make your day worse for my sake." Ruby's silver eyes gleamed genuinely from behind her mask.

That made Weiss's stomach twist more, despite how the earnest sentiment made her heart flutter, "First of all, don't call me your 'best friend', I'm not a child," she didn't even bother telling herself that saying that wasn't just so she wouldn't have to face the emotions associated with having a close friend, "and secondly, evidently if I show up to this party without a costume I'll look like a fool, and I certainly don't have an appropriate outfit."

"Well maybe we could make you one from clothes you already have?"

Ever the optimist, "Ruby as much as I can tell you love this holiday, I like everything in my wardrobe far to much to mangle it for a single night."

Ruby frowned for a second, cogs in her head turning and processing some unfathomable idea before suddenly gasping with joy and flinging her mask and hood off, her eyes practically sparkling. "I JUST HAD THE _BEST_ IDEA!" she shouted loud enough to make Weiss wince, before disappearing in a cloud of rose petals, zipping towards their closet.

**0000000000**

"Hey Weiss, you okay?"

Weiss shook out of her reverie. They'd been sitting against the wall of the airship for nearly an hour now, thinking about what would happen in just a few short hours. They would arrive in Atlas, Weiss's home country. The place she was raised, which held so, _so_ many bad memories. So many apathetic, coldhearted people. It was a cruel place, somewhere where warm people - good people - like her teammates should never have to see.

Atlas was not the place for her anymore, and it was never the place for her partner.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

Ruby laughed a bit tiredly. She had snoozed for a bit, but only for a power nap. While she was far from energetic, the seventeen-year-old was certainly wide awake now, "You know, you _used_ to be good a lying."

The laugh bubbled up easily, much more easily than they had back when she first met her team. "Well, blame yourselves. You three went and made an honest person out of a Schnee."

The smile stayed on her face, but Ruby's eyes got a bit more serious, "You did that yourself, Weiss. Take some credit. I know I've got the shiny eyes, but I wouldn't have gotten anywhere without my best teammate." She bumped her shoulder against Weiss's.

Weiss pursed her lips, eyes burning. It'd been a long, long time since either of them had said that. It'd never come up in conversation and things had been moving so fast since they reunited, it'd been almost a year since she'd heard the phrase 'best teammate', and nearly as long since he'd thought of that night her and Ruby reconciled and started on the path to becoming friends. A single tear slipped past her defenses, it seemed her ability to hide her emotions had also been swept away by the support her team - her _friends_ \- gave her. She wiped it away, and tried to get ahold of herself, thankful JNPR had all fallen asleep.

"Hey," Ruby probed, searching for Weiss's eyes. When she found them, she said, "My dad always said that the only thing keeping heavy thoughts in your head does is give you a sore neck. You can talk to me about it if you want." Earnest, kind, so very unlike Atlas. So very unlike anyone else. Ruby really had grown a lot in the past two years. She was taller than Weiss now, even in her heels, and wise beyond her years.

Still prone to an act of goofiness here and there, of course. She was still Ruby Rose, just older. More mature.

That was what Weiss latched on to, "I'm just, Atlas is a _cold_ place," she began, perhaps on the wrong foot.

Ruby blinked, seemingly surprised, "I mean, I planned to take us all on a shopping trip to buy winter clothes once we got there. I was gonna call it 'Operation' something or other, I hadn't come up with a name yet."

Once more, Ruby worked at the tight little bundle of emotions in Weiss's chest, loosening them and making processing them easier, almost without effort. "No you dolt, I meant emotionally. The people there are...bitter and cold. You…" she cast her gaze around the cabin, "You all are the opposite."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, probing but not demanding.

"You're so _warm_ and _kind_," Weiss said, before the wide look in those silver eyes overwhelmed her, "All of you are," she added, trying to make the sentiment less intense, less personal and intimate.

Ruby was quiet for a second, the cogs in her head turning again before seeming to click. "You're scared Atlas will change us. Me." It wasn't a question, and Weiss didn't try to deny it.

In fact, she snorted a laugh, something she would have _never_ done five years ago, and remarked, "You and your sister are too damn observant for your own good."

Ruby seemed troubled, "Why do you think Atlas will change us?"

Weiss turned her head, finally meeting Ruby's eyes again. That same wide, earnest look… "We've lived through so much, Ruby. All of us. Yang with her mother, Blake and the White Fang, you with your Mom and Beacon, me with Atlas… It hurt us all. Then everything we've been through together after we met." Weiss trailed off again, trying to order her thoughts and stop herself from crying.

"Yeah?" Ruby prompted.

"It's just, you three have lived through just as much as me. More so, actually, and you're all so...so _good_."

"Okay…"

Weiss frowned, then, deeply, "_I wasn't_."

Ruby frowned back at her, an expression that looked almost alien on her typically cheery face, "What do you mean?"

Weiss scoffed, looking away again, "You saw me, when I first moved to Beacon. You _saw_ what Atlas did to me, what it and my family made me into. It's a poison, Ruby. It's cold and it changes people. I don't know…" Her throat tightened, and she couldn't get it out.

"Hey," Ruby said softly, leaning a bit closer, "It's okay, you're _you_, Weiss. You can say this. You're strong enough."

"I don't know what I'd do if Atlas changed you, too. Or Blake or Yang, or JNPR either. I'm scared of what my home will do to you all." She spoke as if she was imparting some great and personal secret which, in a way, she was.

"Weiss," Ruby said in her leader voice, some great hybrid of stern and supportive, "I told you back in Argus that, no matter what, we wouldn't make you deal with Atlas alone, right?"

Weiss nodded, not trusting herself with words.

"We're friends, Weiss, and all seven of us look out for one another. The four of us are a team, and that means we always have allies in each other. Me and you though?" She paused, leaning in a bit and holding out her hand, "What are we, Weiss?"

Weiss knew what Ruby was asking, and the surge of emotions didn't help her stability, but it did give her the strength to take Ruby's hand and say back with as much commitment as she could muster, "Partners."

Ruby's grin was infectious, and she squeezed Weiss's hand tightly, "That's right. I said I wouldn't let you deal with this alone, but that goes both ways. You also get to help me, help us all. Make sure we stay honest. If you're worried about Atlas changing who I am, just remember that. Partners are always there for partners, through thick and thin."

**0000000000**

When Ruby came rushing out of the closet, her black cloak was gone, and in her hands she held two very familiar ensembles.

"What is going through that thick head of yours?" Weiss asked, staring at the familiar sight of her and Ruby's combat gear, dangling from a pair of hangers.

Ruby held them apart so Weiss could see her face between them, teeth bared in a proud and somewhat mischievous grin, "What do you think?"

Deciding to play along with the brunette's antics for now, Weiss said, "If we both show up without costumes, we'll both look stupid and so the shame will be shared between us?" She guessed, reaching for her familiar bolero and dress, only for it to be snatched back and Ruby's grin to double in size.

"Guess again!"

Weiss frowned, "...We give up on the party and go spar in the gym?"

"Nope!"

"Well what is it then you twerp!"

Ruby then held out a set of combat gear towards Weiss. It wasn't Weiss's set.

"We go as each other!"

Weiss stared flatly at the black and red outfit Ruby was presenting to her. "You've surely gone mad."

"It's a good idea, Weiss, think about it!" When Weiss's only response was a frown, Ruby decided to do the thinking for her, "It'd be dumb if one of us did it, but if we _both_ do it it'd be a cute partner thing! It's foolproof!"

Weiss pinched her nose, "All this just to get me to go to some silly costume party?"

Ruby's smile changed then, became less glowing but more genuine, "You deserve to have at least one Halloween in your life, Weiss. You'll love it, I promise. Like the bunk beds."

That caused Weiss to change her tone, eyeing the deathtrap bunks with an oddly warm feeling in her chest that she didn't recognize. After a moment, she argued, "That still doesn't solve the issue with your costume. You can't possibly throw all that work away for an issue so small."

At this, Ruby's smile fell away and her brows furrowed, looking at Weiss concernedly, "You're not a small issue dude, you're my partner. I don't care about the costume, I just want you to have some fun."

Weiss had...some trouble processing that. It was so casual, how Ruby said it, as if it was the most simple thing in the world. As if it was just totally natural for her to say that Weiss was more important to her than hours of work. As if she expected Weiss to have already known that. It was so odd, then, the feelings that rushed over her.

**0000000000**

It wasn't until many months later, trapped in her room in Atlas that Weiss realized what she was feeling was the beginnings of _love_. Not the familial love she felt with Winter, not the obligatory, bastardized 'love' she was expected to hold for her Father and Mother.

Weiss had never fallen in love. She'd had two boyfriends through her teens, both arranged, both who she never really even knew, and both who lasted less than a week. She still hadn't fallen for anyone to this very day. She didn't know if Romantic love would ever find her, but she had decided some time ago that if it didn't, she would not force any relationships. Her bloodline be damned, if she never fell in love, she'd never marry. Before Team RWBY, before Ruby, she had believed that to be the extent of love. A few neat little categories, all nice and poetic. Familial, Platonic, and Romantic. Just titles to list relationships with.

It wasn't until she _felt_ it that she understood how limited her sight was. Love was something incredible, boundless. It could not really be named, not really be categorized. Once upon a time, Weiss would have hated that, how sloppy and chaotic the emotion was. Now, trapped in her bedroom in her family home, she reveled in it. That chaos of love could not be listed on a spreadsheet or quantified in lien. It could not be sold or bargained, could not be gauged. She loved Ruby more than she loved Blake and Yang, but even that comparison defied convention.

It wasn't romantic, Weiss didn't think she really wanted to date Ruby, didn't think she ever wanted to marry her or lie with her, but that absolutely did nothing to devalue the feeling in her heart. Love, devotion, loyalty. Something her mother and father would _never_ understand, never accept.

Maybe one day that feeling would change. Maybe some day she'd decide she wanted her relationship with Ruby to be a romantic one, and maybe Ruby would reciprocate. It wasn't a concept she was averse to, almost surprisingly so. With her acceptance that the emotion she felt when she remembered Ruby was _love_, came a realization. If they did date, if they did marry one day, nothing would change. That love would still be there, still be just as powerful, just as profound, whether it was romantic or platonic.

It was a beautiful revelation, and one that kept her warm, kept her defiant those cold months in Atlas. She didn't care what everyone else thought for once. She wrote in her journal, penned out a new song. The world could say she, as a Schnee or as a Person, must be _this_ or must be _that_, but it just _didn't matter_. Because she loved her teammates, loved her best friend more than anyone on Remnant. The world could try to invalidate the power of platonic love, call it inferior to romantic, all it wanted. Weiss knew then that love defied convention, classification.

_I will not surrender_, she wrote, for her best friend, for Ruby.

_This life is __**mine.**_

**0000000000**

"I can't believe you talked me into this," Weiss grumbled.

"You love it, BFF," Ruby quipped, grinning at her partner.

"Do _not_," Weiss gritted her teeth, doing her best to heft the behemoth of a weapon in her hands, "_call me that._"

Ruby giggled, amused at Weiss's frustration. She twirled _Myrtenaster_ in her hand, hearing the razor-sharp blade _whoosh_ through the air. "She's so _light_, holy crap. It's like swinging air."

Weiss huffed, cradling the half-folded scythe against her chest to try and reduce the strain on her arms, "That sentiment is most certainly _not_ seconded. I'm going to dislocate my shoulders before tonight is done."

A gust of wind blew then, causing Ruby to yelp and shiver, "Gah, at least you have my cloak. I don't know how you live in this cold without stockings most of the time!"

She had a point, the heavy weight around her shoulders oddly reassuring. More so than the sixty-pound rifle in her hands, anyway.

It was certainly an experience, wearing Ruby's outfit. The dress was largely similar in feel to hers, though Weiss had never worn a corset before. Ruby's boots were much heavier than her own, and she grimaced at the fact that, with Ruby wearing her heels, she had to look up to meet her partner's eyes.

It didn't take long to reach the second-year dormitory. The door had a scroll reader, which meant the two first-years had to knock to be let in. Luckily, the door opened almost immediately upon knocking. On well-greased hinges, the door swung open silently. For a brief second, a bit of anxiety pooled in Weiss's gut, that this had all been some elaborate prank to get Weiss to make a fool of herself.

But no, sure enough, there was Coco Adel. Ruby must have been telling the truth about Halloween, as there was no way Coco would be absent her beret otherwise. She had on a pair of sunglasses though, with a red LED implanted in the right lense. Her hair had been slicked back and her standard ensemble had been replaced by a black leather jacket, fingerless gloves, and combat boots. To complete the look, she held a lever-action shotgun in her right hand, leant against her shoulder.

The older student took a moment to appraise their costumes, before laughing, "_Wow_, you two. Couldn't have made it more obvious?"

Weiss furrowed her brow, and Ruby said dumbly, "Huh?"

Coco only laughed again and ushered them in.

That night, Ruby never left Weiss's side, talking and laughing and eating cheap mass-produced candy. When Blake and Yang finally bumped into them they had a laugh about Ruby and Weiss's 'costumes', and that was that. Since Ruby was as-ever antisocial, they mostly talked between themselves as the tension melted from Weiss's shoulders. They talked often since they lived together, but that night it was different. They didn't talk as teammates for once, but instead as friends. Best friends. The talked about classes, about life, cataloguing and critiquing the costumes they saw, everything under the shattered moon of Remnant.

Weiss had always felt like she deserved her place at Beacon. She went through far too much to have not earned it. Overcoming her father and her country's pressure to go to Atlas Academy, fighting to be a huntress in the first place, getting over her personal issues with her team, all of it meant she felt that she deserved to be there among her classmates.

But that night, because of her partner, was the first time that Weiss felt she _belonged_ with Team RWBY.

**0000000000**

It had now been a few hours since leaving Argus. The engines of the Manta, as Ruby had told her the ship was called, still whined, and the only people that hadn't begun snoozing as the sun set outside were Ruby, Weiss, and Maria in the cockpit.

Exhaustion and sleepiness had settled deep into Weiss's bones as she reminisced. She was still worried about Atlas, about their future. She didn't know what awaited them in the country, or what Salem had planned. But come hell or high water, Weiss would be there to make sure her teammates stayed safe, and her teammates would be there to make sure she did too. That thought comforted her as she settled down, laying on the floor of the airship with some spare clothes from Ruby's backpack serving as a pillow. No matter what happened, they would find a way to survive, to make sure both Remnant and team RWBY stayed whole long enough to have a hundred more Halloweens.

Ruby shivered in her place next to Weiss, a comfortable distance between them but still close. She didn't know why, but Weiss asked, "Hey Ruby, remember that Halloween, our first semester back at Beacon?"

Ruby made an odd sort of noise, shifting in place and unbuckling her cloak from her shoulders. "Duh, that night was awesome. We had the best costumes in Beacon! Well, maybe aside from Velvet's, but she was cheating."

Weiss laughed, a simple thing, at the memory. Velvet had used her camera and hard light dust to make a ridiculously elaborate costume based on some video game character Weiss didn't know about. "We did, didn't we?"

"What brought that up?" Ruby asked, resting her head on her fist and looking down at Weiss as best she could.

The cabin was dimly lit, and it helped Weiss keep talking, "It's just that, I've done so much in my life. Getting accepted to Beacon, my grades, all those competitions Ozpin would put us through back then, dealing with my family. I've accomplished a _lot_."

Ruby chuckled, and Weiss realized then she seemed to chuckle more than giggle nowadays, "I hope keeping you humble isn't a part of keeping you honest, cause I don't know if I can manage that."

Weiss smiled into the darkness of the cabin, "It's just, I did all that at Beacon, and I did a lot after too, but...still, somehow, that stupid little party we went to together remains one of my favourite memories."

Ruby seemed to sense the change in tone, and asked softly, "Why is that?"

Weiss shrugged, though she knew Ruby probably couldn't tell, "I don't know, just...it was a good night." She stopped, though, when she heard Ruby shiver again, "Are you cold?"

The floor was metal, and the air around the Manta was only getting colder the farther north they flew. Ruby's teeth had begun to chatter, "Yeah, a bit. I'm using my cloak as a blanket but it's got some holes in it so it's not helping a lot."

Weiss's cheeks burned as a thought occurred to her. Once it was there, it wouldn't leave, and so Weiss clicked her tongue and said, "Come here you dolt."

"Huh?" Ruby asked, dumbly.

"If we both get under your cloak," she began, keeping her voice level, "then we'll warm it up easier." After a moment of silence and inaction on Ruby's part, Weiss explained further, "Look, if we do anything in Atlas's wilderness while we're up there we might have to share body heat anyway, so it's best to get used to it now."

Still, Ruby didn't move, simply stating, "I didn't think you'd be willing to share a blanket with somebody."

Weiss signed, her shoulders slumping as she bit the bullet, "I wouldn't usually. There's a first time for everything though, and I suppose it's all right so long as I'm sharing it with..." she gritted her teeth, her chest doing flips as the words got caught in her throat. Ruby deserved to know how she felt though, and for her partner Weiss would do anything, even this, "...my best friend."

Ruby sat up, her eyes sparked so brightly that Weiss genuinely feared she might start accidentally emitting silver light again, and whisper-shouted, "I _knew_ we were BFFs!" before all but pouncing onto Weiss, wrapping her arms around her shoulders in an awkward sideways hug.

Weiss still cringed a bit when Ruby said 'BFF', still felt it was too silly and childish a thing to say, felt Ruby was too old for it now. But really, that was the thing with Ruby. Weiss heard Ruby shouting orders on the Cliffs of Argus once again, her voice firm. She remembered Ruby standing defiantly before the Leviathan, or shouting at her uncle that he needed to straighten himself out after that day they spent searching for Oscar, only to return to find Qrow drunk off his feet. She was so _strong_ as a person, she learned lessons from her own mistakes and from the people around her, experienced life and all it's hardships.

Ruby knew just how bad the world could get. She watched her sister maimed, her friends scattered. She saw her uncle, her role model fall to alcoholism, her home razed and her friends murdered before her at Beacon. Ruby Rose knew the world, knew how cruel it could be, and she adapted to handle it. Was firm when she needed to be, forceful when the situation demanded it of her. She was mature, in her own way.

But then, Weiss also remembered their time at Brunswick farms, how shaken Weiss had gotten at finding those corpses in the bedroom. She remembered Ruby bouncing around her, cracking jokes and getting overly excited about a can of beans, all in an effort to make Weiss laugh. She remembered the way Ruby bounced in her seat at Saphron and Terra's house as she ate her food, a half-sandwich in each hand. Ruby was always bright, always this shining Beacon in the darkness of their world. Always just a bit silly.

She knew how cruel the world could be, had been hurt by it far too many times for her age. She was strong enough to survive it, smart enough to learn from it, but she never changed. She never grew jaded or bitter, never stopped being kind or optimistic or helpful. She matured, she grew older, but she never stopped being Ruby Rose. The world would kick her, move her, change her, but Weiss knew it would never break her. Because no matter what lengths life went to to break Ruby, Weiss knew her partner was _indomitable_.

That was why Weiss loved her, why she respected her. It inspired her, softened her heart and made her want to be better too. Wanted to help Ruby stay that way, stay lighthearted and childish, even if it did make her cringe from time to time. So when Ruby hugged her, practically laying on top of her on the dirty floor of this freezing gunship, and called her 'BFF', for once Weiss didn't say 'No' as she usually did, didn't shove Ruby off or demand she show some decorum.

Instead, Weiss sighed, absorbed the warmth Ruby gave off, and returned the embrace.

Come what may, be it in Atlas or beyond, she would not leave Ruby's side. Back-to-back, armed, ready, and _good_. One day their relationship might change. They could be lovers, the could grow further apart, or they could simply maintain what they had now. It didn't matter, because no matter what, they would stand together. Partners, 'til the end.

Truly, the _Perfect Pair_.

Weiss smiled.

**0000000000**

**A/N**

**The idea of writing a partner-centric piece has been stuck in my head since v6's finale, but I didn't have anything concrete until recently. This was absolutely inspired by Amity Arena's Halloween skins for Ruby and Weiss just being them dressed as each other. I just **_**had**_ **to write something for it, I really had no choice. But yeah, I like how this turned out. It's the first thing I've written in a long time that didn't have a romantic bend, but I kinda like that. Platonic love gets overshadowed a lot nowadays in favor of romantic stuff, and it's important to remember that both are beautiful and can be equally as powerful. Y'all know I love me some White Rose, but I wanted this story to be as close to canon as possible, and I really wanted to highlight how a very powerful friendship is not 'lesser' than a romantic relationship.**

**That said, I plan on picking Destiny Finds Us back up soon, so stay tuned for that! Until then!**

**If you enjoyed, don't forget to review, I live and breathe on them! **

**Thanks**

**-Order**


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